Guided tours via mobile

Unable to make it on to a guided tour? You can find out more about the historic buildings on our campus directly from your mobile device by using the Layar app.

The app highlights key buildings around you and allows you to access information about their history.

To download Layar and access the content, follow these steps:

Visit the Layar website to download the app (it’s available for Android, iPhone, BlackBerry and Google Glass).

Once you’re on campus, open the app then select the menu from the top-left corner (make sure you have your GPS switched on).

Select ‘Geo Layers’, then ‘Search layers’.

Type in ‘Manchester’.

Select ‘Explore our past: Heritage tour of The University of Manchester’.

Your screen should then display purple markers on the sites of our historic buildings – the larger the marker, the closer you are to that building. You can change the view to a map layout by clicking on the University crest in the top-right corner.

Choose a marker and you’ll be given a number of options, including the chance to listen to an audio introduction to that building (iPhone users – if you normally have your ringer muted, you must unmute it to hear this audio). Choose ‘Find out more’ and you’ll be taken to a webpage containing more information about the building’s history.